1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to wearing apparel, and more particularly to rain apparel that combines convenience and safety features.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Outdoorsmen demand several characteristics of the clothing they wear in the field. Water resistance and light weight are of particular importance. In addition, hunters require that the clothing contribute to their safety. For that reason, red and orange colored hunting jackets and pants are widely used. However, red and orange colors are not available in rainproof hunting jackets and pants. Consequently, many hunters presently purchase a red or orange plastic poncho for wearing over their regular hunting clothes. Other options available to hunters include the use of separate safety garmemts, which may be somewhat similar to those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,342,005; 2,437,223; 3,047,875; and 4,017,908. Those options are unsatisfactory because they require the expense of an additional garment. Also, available plastic ponchos are bulky, noisy, and easily torn in use. The other mentioned safety items are inconvenient to hunters in addition to having the drawback of excessive cost.
Another clothing feature important to hunters is convenience with respect to the wearing of hunting tags. It is known to insert a hunting tag into a tag holder having at least one transparent side, and then pinning the holder to the back of the hunting jacket. That practice poses a serious disadvantage when applied to a rain jacket, because the pin holes destroy the integrity of the jacket material, thereby allowing the jacket to leak. Further, present pinned-on tag holders catch easily in bushes and tree branches, and they noisly crunch and bend when the hunter leans on a tree against the tag holder. Another example of a tag holder is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,436,854, but that device is expensive and cumbersome to use. Somewhat similar tags may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,024,997 and 4,375,133, but they are generally unsatisfactory for wearing on a hunting jacket.
Thus, a need exists for a hunting rain suit that combines safety and convenient tag holding features.